Sendik's Fine Foods in Brookfield is accused of censoring the cover of Milwaukee Magazine's March issue, which features a photo of a lesbian couple in wedding gowns. A Sendik's owner denied knowing about it and the black board over the cover was taken down Wednesday afternoon.

The cover, which is titled "For Love & Money," features a photo of two pretty brides (presumably models) at the Milwaukee Art Museum -- a blonde holding a wedding bouquet and a brunette with her hands on the blonde's waist. Across the bottom of the gowns, the text reads, "Same-sex marriage is big business and Wisconsin is losing out on millions."

The story focuses on the economic impact of same-sex weddings, saying such weddings could add $43 million in spending to Wisconsin's economy in three years if made legal.

Milwaukee Magazine assistant editor Abby Callard, who wrote the cover story, told Romenesko that the publication found out about the incident through an email from a reader.

"This apparently happened after a customer complained," Callard told Romenesko. "The reader who emailed us... asked a clerk and was told the owners deemed it 'inappropriate.' The circulation manager was also told the store has a policy that if one person complains about a magazine cover, they give it the black-board treatment."

An unnamed Sendik's owner told Romenesko Monday morning that he knew nothing about the cover being shielded. He said a distributor rather than someone at the store put the black board over the cover.

Milwaukee Magazine editor Kurt Chandler told Romenesko that the publication expected there could be a reaction to the photo and the story.

"I'm disappointed the reaction in this case came in the form of censorship," he said. "More constructive would be an open dialogue about Wisconsin's ban on same-sex marriage.

According to Milwaukee Magazine, Sendik's in Brookfield has previously put black boards on other magazines, including Cosmopolitan's April 2014 issue, which features Khloé Kardashian in shorts and headlines such as "Break the Bed Sex: 21 New Ideas to Blow Your Own Damn Mind!," "168 Ways to Kick More Ass!" and "Your. Best. Butt. Ever."